The Leopard Man

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The Leopard Man

1943,

1h 5m,

Horror

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Watchlist

89%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

When Latin dancer Clo-Clo (Margo) begins to overshadow nightclub singer Kiki Walker (Jean Brooks), Kiki's agent, Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe), decides to spice up his client's act with an enormous black leopard on a leash. But the big cat escapes from the club -- and soon after, a young girl (Margaret Landry) and others are found dead around their small town. When evidence suggests that the killer may be human, suspicion falls on the leopard's Native American owner (Abner Biberman).

Variety Staff

Variety

Nov 15, 2007

It's all confusion, in fact too much for an audience to follow.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Mar 25, 2006

1/5

Half-baked efforts such as this one provoke little more than a yawn.

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Jul 3, 2004

4/4

There's a certain multi-cultural conflict that distinguishes the Lewton-Tourneurs.

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Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 16, 2026

The Leopard Man is a great choice for any fans of classic Hollywood horror with a surprising edge, or fans of gialli and slashers interested in those genres’ roots.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Feb 20, 2021

4/5

...those seeking cheap thrills should look for creature-features elsewhere; The Leopard Man is classy, striking entertainment from the top drawer...

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Nov 25, 2020

8/10

This is entertaining pulp fiction produced with a keen visual eye.

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Finn W

Dec 29, 2017

A mexicali-noir by Lewton. The only character which disappoints is Brooks, well worth watching once or twice.

Poe W

Nov 7, 2017

The Leopard Man is an excellent film. It is about a seemingly tame leopard used for a publicity stunt escapes and kills a young girl, spreading panic throughout a sleepy new Mexico town. Dennis O'Keefe and Margo give incredible performances. The screenplay is well written. Jacques Tourneur did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the horror and drama. The Leopard Man is a must see.

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Albus P

Jul 21, 2017

A poor man's Cat People, but still okay. For most of the movie you're mostly looking at the lighting and enjoying well structured suspense scenes. But once the mystery kicks in, it becomes a lot more interesting, culminating in an ending echoing (if not perfectly) Fritz Lang's M.

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Dennis O'Keefe

Jerry Manning

Margo

Clo-Clo

Jean Brooks

Kiki Walker

Isabel Jewell

Maria

James Bell

Dr. Galbraith

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Synopsis

When Latin dancer Clo-Clo (Margo) begins to overshadow nightclub singer Kiki Walker (Jean Brooks), Kiki's agent, Jerry Manning (Dennis O'Keefe), decides to spice up his client's act with an enormous black leopard on a leash. But the big cat escapes from the club -- and soon after, a young girl (Margaret Landry) and others are found dead around their small town. When evidence suggests that the killer may be human, suspicion falls on the leopard's Native American owner (Abner Biberman).

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Val Lewton
Distributor: Fox Hill, Fox Hills Video
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 1943, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 5m

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